Gridlock

"Hope" by Emily Dickinson


Title:
Most likely the overall theme for the poem
Paraphrase:
"Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words" These lines are clearly associating the qualities of a bird with the qualities of hope.

"And sore must be the storm,That could abash the little bird, That kept so many warm." Dickinson is still associating hope with the qualities of a bird and also saying how could someone crush the bird that brought hope to many.

Connotation:
1. "And sore must be the storm"
Sore seems to mean more along the lines of evil.
2."That kept so many warm"
This means that that the hope was a beacon and uplifting for those who needed it.
3."It asked a crumb of me"
This means that hope required nothing in return for giving out its "warmth"

Attitude:
Dickinson seems to admire hope and the things it can do to help others.
Shift:
There is a very small in shift where she describes how hope can exist in the strangest places.
Title revisited:
Hope is a major part of the poem and part of the theme.
Theme:
The theme is hope. It can raise even the most down person and uplift them.